


Outsiders, you and I

by I_Am_Darkness



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Trini (Power Rangers), Non-Canon Relationship, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-04
Packaged: 2019-01-29 08:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12627228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Darkness/pseuds/I_Am_Darkness
Summary: AU in which Trini abandons the Power Rangers four years after defeating Rita. She brings Rita back from space and the wo begin to bond with each other.





	Outsiders, you and I

Warmth.

 

The crackling flames were reflecting on Rita's frozen wide eyes. All her body was covered in a thin but hard coat of ice. The unforgiving temperature of space had stilled her in less than a minute.

 

Though with every passing second in front of the flames, Rita found herself slowly coming back to consciousness. Her senses were slowly but steadily returning and when the first patches of ice began to somewhat melt off from her eyes, she carefully moved them to scan her surroundings. The movement itself stung, but she ignored the pain. She did not know where was, or how she got there. All she knew was that she was in an averagely sized room, decorated with furnitire, technological devices and burning logs of wood in front of her. Her golden wand and coin were on the other side of the room, near the front door, the first standing against a wall and the latter placed on a table.

 

The technology looked rather primitive compared to what she knew, so she assumed that she was back on Earth.

Somehow...

 

The answer to her questions came through the front door. By then, more of the ice had melted from her body, yet the numbness from the cold prevented her from moving either way.

 

That answer was the yellow ranger. She was slightly taller now, her hair was longer and shaved on one side instead of braided. She looked to be tired, a tear of sweat ran down from her temple to her chin and she quickly placed her coin on the table, not very close to Rita's, along with her jacket and backpack.

 

Her eyes met Rita's inhumanly blue ones and she gave a small nod of acknowledgement. ''Hey.'' She said briefly. Rita noticed something metallic and small shining on the ranger's eyebrow. It was barely visible but there nonetheless. Humans called it a...piercing, was it? ''You look to be in a better condition.'' She briefly commented before walking to another room.

 

From the rushing water, it was clear that she had gone to the bathroom. When she came back, Rita's eyes followed her.  She opened her mouth to speak but could barely make an audible sound. She tried again, parting her lips more, though all she could do was whisper.

 

Trini smirked briefly at the irony, easily remembering herself when she could barely speak because of Rita's breath-taking grip on her neck. She walked over, leaning her ear closer to Rita's mouth. ''What?'' She teasingly whispered, Rita repeated her words.

 

_''Wh..at...happened?''_

 

Trini leaned back and plopped herself on the couch. ''A lot.'' She replied much too broadly. Rita stared at her, waiting for further elaboration. ''For starters, you've been in space for around...four years or so? Yeah, I brought you back with my Zord three days ago and you've been lying here in front of the fire place ever since. Also, I moved away from my parents' house. I live alone now.''

 

The muscles of Rita's shaved eyebrows clenched into a frown of confusion and her head slightly tilted to the side. It seemed strange that the yellow ranger, of all, would bring her back after everything.

 

She opened her mouth to speak, but Trini had already predicted the next question.

 

''Oh, and I'm not a Power Ranger anymore.'', she stated, ''Turns out you were right about many things.''

 

She stood from the couch and headed to the kitchen. ''...I'm also sorry for slapping you into space that time. Young and hot-tempered.'' Trini said while going there.

 

To say that Rita was surprised by what she was hearing would be an understatement. In fact, she was wide-eyed shocked by everything that had managed to happen within only four years. Stuck inside the ocean for seventy-five million years and the Earth looked like a completely different planet. Four years frozen in space and unaware of her surroundings and the new Power Ranger team breaks apart once again. 

She began to think of the look on Zordon's face when Trini told him that she'd leave. Additionally, Rita was curious as to how Trini managed to understand everything she'd been telling her back when they first met. 

Nonetheless, it was priceless. Zordon slowly losing everything he'd built for millions of years. The cruelty of it made Rita grin madly to herself until her thoughts were interrupted by a hot steaming cup presented to her by Trini. She looked up with a questioning gaze. Her curious blue eyes were opened wide as she stared up at the fellow rogue.

''Drink this, eat this.'' Said Trini plainly. Her other hand held a thick golden chain. From the looks of it, it seemed to be highly expensive.

Rita hurriedly leaned towards it first. Her hands were still numb so she used her partially numb mouth to take the chain from Trini's tanned hand and ravenously consume it.

 

With a content sigh, her skin began to glow a tad and she could finally move more easily. She craned her neck sharply on one side, then another. The muscles and joints there popped from the lack of movement. She did the same with her spine, arms and legs before taking the offered hot cup. She sniffed it curiously and realized that it was an organic liquid mixed with melted gold.

Trini watched silently as Rita took the first somewhat reluctant sip. Part of it stung slightly when the heat of it contrasted the skin-bruising cold inside her mouth but Rita was paying more attention to the gold hidden somewhere within, giving it a slight tint.

 

''It's tea, but I melted one of my old rings and added it there. It wasn't too hard to understand that gold made you stronger.'' Commented Trini.

 

The cup was empty in seconds and Rita looked back into her eyes with a primitive stare, as if she was a starving carnivore given meat for the first time. Trini's gaze was indifferent, possibly having gotten used to Rita's insanity by now. She took the cup from Rita's cold hands, (they were slightly warmer now and Trini was glad to feel this during their brief contact) and placed it on the small table near the couch and behind Rita.

 

Trini decided to sit beside her despite the water surrounding her from the melted ice. She slid down next to the former green ranger and Rita stared at her, observing the changes in her appearance with fascination. She was still young and oh-so-very beautiful, but the innocence was wiped from her for the most part. She looked wilder and more mature. ''I knew you and I were alike...'' She muttered softly. Her hand reached towards Trini's face and the former yellow ranger turned her gaze from the fire to her. She did not deny the affectionate touch, but did not much welcome it either.

''Guess so.'' Was Trini's brief reply, accompanied by a nod. Her right arm rested on her right knee, allowing her head to lean against that hand. It gave Rita a good view of most of her face and allowed her to take in the new and even more remarkable beauty of her.

 

Despite the brevity of it, Trini's reply made Rita smirk and copy the nod. ''Thank you, little yellow.'' 

''You're welcome, big green.'' She playfully replied with a hint of a smile.

 

It made Rita laugh. Trini was only calmly smiling as she stared at the flame. She soon drifted off into her own thoughts and her facial muscles eased into a neutral expression again. Silence soon filled the living room, only slightly breaking by the crackling of the flames. Trini adjusted the logs at times to keep the fire burning. Rita observed her wordlessly.

She was going through a memory waterfall, remembering the yellow ranger before Trini, the day she left her team, the day she killed her team and died with it, the day she was reborn, the day she met the new team...

These memories passed through quickly, but the memories of her meeting Trini lingered a tad longer. Trini was awfully resistant the day they first met, denying the truth fully just for the sake of being loyal to her so-called friends. 

The thrill of belonging, the thrill of finally not being alone and misunderstood. Rita had been just the same, silent and distant yet enthusiastic nonetheless. Until she realized that she was never a part of them in the first place. That she was built for a greatness which none of them could fathom, not even Zordon.  _Especially not Zordon._

 

''What made you change your mind, yellow?''

 

The question was spoken in a surprisingly peaceful tone. Trini blinked slowly, but did not respond immediately. The blink was followed by a silent breath through her nostrils and she waited for the memory to settle into her mind before wording it.

 

''You,''

 

Replied Trini.

 

 ''for the most part.'' A broad and unspecific answer again, for which she soon provided an explanation.

''After defeating you, many more came for the crystal just as you had predicted. We battled them again and again, always morphing, always using our Zords, always fusing them into the Megazord...and even though we protected the world from evil, it seemed all the same to me.''

 

Trini spoke without looking at Rita, her eyes were glued on the flames which would have distracted her had Rita not spoken. ''Go on...''

 

''I enjoyed being with them, the Rangers...but not because I was ever so eager to protect this world, because I wanted to fit in.'' She shook her head slightly. ''But that was just the beginning of it. Your words had settled into my head ever since our...first encounter and no matter how subbornly I pushed them away, they kept coming back.''

 

_'Do not believe what Zordon says...he will_ betray _you- I will protect you.'_

 

_'I see myself in you...I was an outsider on Zordon's team just like you.'_

 

_'No matter what Zordon says...I know, I am worthy!'_

 

They were still ever so vivid that Trini remembered the scenes in explicit detail. ''Zordon had told us once that you two were friends. What could have happened between you two?'' Trini paused to realize that she was rambling, which she never really did under normal circumstances. She thought to stop and reply with one sentence only, but Rita looked very eager to know.

 

''My suspicion ended when he traded his life for Billy's, but an act of kindness does not define a kind man.'', she remembered reading this in a fortune cookie. ''I noticed that his words contrasted yours. He said you were corrupted by hunger for power, you said things about betrayal and underestimation. I tried to ask him, but he was brief and somewhat cryptic. So I...used slightly forbidden methods of finding out as much as I could.'' She stole a glance at Rita, who was annoyed upon learning what Zordon said about her, though undoubtedly interested in Trini's story.

It felt awkward for Trini to speak so much, even after becoming slightly more social from being with the Power Rangers.

 

''It was already punishable that I used the ship to see in the past and that I disobeyed as well as did not trust Zordon, though getting angry at him for not telling us everything resulted in me getting heavily scolded not only by him and his little android, but the rest of the team as well. They were ever so disappointed in me, said that I was acting just like I did when I first met them and that it was foolish and immature, they even said that it was as if I prefered you over them.'' Trini fought away the frown of anger to maintain a careless composure. ''I was shocked that they would scold me just the way my parents would. So I did what I normally do, run away and spend time by myself. It turned out I spent a little too much time and missed an unexpected mission. By then I was treated even more as an outsider even after apologizing. Side note here, they never apologized for what they said to me.'' Trini added with a hint of spite.

 

''Anyway, to cut it short, I began closing off and keeping to myself, doubting, rethinking...what were we saving anyway? A corrupted world governed by labels and material pleasure. I was a superhero but my family would never know. My family would still treat me like a freak. Maybe the world didn't deserve to be protected.''

 

The barely noticable but evident hatred in her tone boostened Rita's already strong excitement. It was an odd feeling, a connection that made her beam with delight. She understood exactly what Trini had said, every emotion and every action described. She inched closer and took Trini's hand in her own while intensely staring into her eyes. Trini looked back after briefly glancing at their entwined fingers. ''Believe me,  _Didi_ , I know exactly what this feels like...but don't worry, my offer still stands, you and I can be friends.'' Rita leaned impossibly close after speaking, slightly pressing her nose against Trini's jawline.

 

Trini had not expected the act to fluster her but it did and she leaned away from Rita. ''Seriously, don't call me that.'' She tugged her hand out of Rita's and gently pushed her away. ''I don't really need that anymore. I'm not as desperate to belong as I used to be.'' 

Rita was somewhat taken aback by the answer. She leaned back as well, giving the former yellow ranger her personal space. It surprised her to hear this even though she herself had felt this way. It was possibly the fact that she thought she had a sort of bond with the younger rogue.

 

Trini, however, upon seeing Rita's reaction, smiled slightly and turned to face her. ''But since we're both outsiders, perhaps we should stick together.'' She offered Rita her fist.

The older woman grinned darkly at her reply before noticing the still fist. She studied it before remembering what it meant. She reached out her own fist and bumped it onto Trini's in a friendly manner.

 

''Tell me, did you kill the rest of your team?'' Asked Rita as she once again leaned closer to Trini.

''No, I didn't. I wasn't strong enough to do that even if I wanted to. I managed to overpower them and escape because they were too weak to truly fight me. They were also smart enough to understand that we would never truly morph if I did not want to be part of the team.'' Trini replied quietly.

''And I assume they're after you?'' Rita tilted her head.

''It's possible. If they're not, they will be after learning that I'm helping you.''

''What will you do then?''

''I won't kill them, if that's what you're asking. Not unless my very own life is threatened first. I will fight them off and I'll keep reminding them that I'm not part of their team.'' She let out a small sigh, ''I don't think I ever was in the first place.'' She averted her gaze, casting it aside.

''You need to brace yourself, little yellow, harden your emotions! They will try to kill us both if they learn that you've teamed up with me.'' Rita boldly said, her tone rising almost to the point of yelling.

 

Trini mimicked Rita's bold tone. ''I won't let them kill me.'' She then murmured ''or you, for that matter.'', before turning to look back at the fire. ''As I said, I'll kill them first if that is case.''

 

Trini's words settled into Rita's heart much more than she'd expected them to. Trini was willing to protect her. She was going to actually kill her former team for the sake of her. Rita could not remember any other time after leaving the Rangers in which someone had stood up for her like this.

Abruptly, she pulled Trini into a tight embrace, almost suffocating her in the process. It made the young rogue yelp in shock at the sheer movement. She adjusted herself in Rita's embrace in order to breathe more properly, then she acually returned the embrace rather awkwardly. It wasn't often that she hugged people, in fact, she only used to hug Kimberly at times when she was still a Power Ranger, though not with such fierceness as Rita used now.

Trini curiously observed Rita's face. Her eyes were almost completely closed and her expression was calm, almost strict even. Despite the emotions not being visible on her face, Trini understood what Rita was feeling. With a silent sigh, she brought her hand on the back of Rita's neck and rubbed on the skin with her fingers. Rita hummed softly, though showed no other signs of enjoyment. Her expression did not change either. ''I said it once before, I'll say it again for good measure... _I will protect you_. From anything...'' Murmured Rita in a surprisingly soft voice, and Trini nodded in acceptance.

 

As they silently sat together in front of the fire, Trini remembered the first time she'd sat in front of a fire like this. Despite being enemies with the Rangers now, the memory sill made her smile. ''You know...the last time I ever talked so much with someone was four years ago, when I first began to bond with the Power Rangers. Ironically, it was in front of a fire that I confessed my insecurities and inner thoughts.''

 

Rita's grip had loosened a tad and she was only comfortably leaning against Trini. She remembered that too, seeing as she used to observe the new Ranger team ever since her resurrection. ''That means we're bonding as well.'' She remarked with a dark smile.

 

''Perhaps. Time will tell.'' Trini replied indifferently.

 

The two sat there until nightfall, and when Trini finally went to sleep, Rita observed her with the same fondness as she had the first time they met.

 

 

 

 


End file.
